Mother and daughter reunited after 40 yrs

September 16, 2010 12:00:00 AM PDT

TOLEDO, Ohio --

A woman seeking to reunite with her biological mother after 40 years got lucky when she placed a classified ad.When Abby Hall called the Ohio newspaper to place the ad, she discovered her cousin was working at the paper and he was able to bring her together with her birth mom.

Maria Martinez had given up her daughter for adoption when she got pregnant as a teenager.

"I thought about her a lot - birthdays come around, holidays ? she was never far from my heart," said Martinez.

"Everywhere I go I'm wondering - 'OK, is this her passing me by?'" said Hall. "I've always wondered if I looked like her, if my kids look like her."

Both women were surprised to learn they had lived only about an hour's drive apart for so many years.